


Aglow

by garbage_dono



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Established Relationship, F/M, First Time, Knotting, Outdoor Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Sex In A Cave, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Wedding Night, they're horny and trapped in a cave together during a storm with no way out oh nOoOoOoOoOo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 18:21:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19796464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbage_dono/pseuds/garbage_dono
Summary: Training, research, missions,duty,- a thousand different things have come between Zarkon and Honerva from the start of their fledgling marriage. No matter their desire, finding the time and the privacy to consummate their relationship has proved impossible, until a storm traps them together in a remote cavern on a distant moon.It's not what they planned, but it's perfect in its own way none the less.





	Aglow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gyogyo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyogyo/gifts).



> A thousand thanks to Gyo for the wonderful prompt and God knows how many paragraphs of brainstorming and keyboardsmashing. The world needs more of these two.

Honerva's own marriage took her by surprise.

For deca-phoebs she had considered herself married to her work, dedicated to her research with such intent that she doubted she would ever find someone who could outshine it. She had made herself content with the idea that she would spend her life on her own, raising her experiments like they were her children and growing old surrounded by her alchemy texts. Some people would have thought that a sad life, or insisted that she would die with regrets, but Honerva had never thought of it that way. It was her life. A fulfilling life. She was satisfied with all it would offer her, and all it wouldn't offer.

But then, Zarkon had arrived. The moment she'd seen that great Black Lion soaring overhead, smelled the fumes of quintessence-spiked exhaust, felt the warm wind whipping through her hair – oh, that very moment, she had been a _goner._

Their wedding day had left her breathlessly happy, so much so that she felt like it would burst out of her chest when he kissed her. They had laughed, eaten, drunk, and danced late into the night, and when they'd finally retired to their chambers – deliriously exhausted – Blaytz had cheered and said something to Zarkon that had made her new husband's face burn deep crimson.

And yet, whatever the Blue Paladin had said, it hadn't come to fruition that night. Instead, the two of them had fallen into bed and passed out in their dress clothes, splayed over each other like ragdolls until late into the next morning. She had woken to Zarkon kissing her temple and gently nudging the hair from her face.

"They need me, my love," he'd murmured in her ear. "I need to go to Black. Wait for me?"

She remembered nodding in her half-sleep, and he had promised he'd return by the end of the quintant.

The mission had taken a movement and a half.

Every morning he'd called, even though some were short. And every communication, no matter how quick, he'd told her he loved her. He'd promised he'd be back as soon as he could manage it. He'd said that being apart from her made his chest ache.

She'd missed him. She'd longed for him. But more than anything, she'd trusted him to return. And finally, after much too long, he had.

Bruised and limping and as singed as his lion, but he'd returned to her in one piece none the less.

Three quintants he'd begrudgingly spent in the healing pod, at both her and Alfor's insistence. And three quintants she had spent by his side, thumbing through the notes from her latest experiments and marking them up in preparation for the next phase. Every time he'd woken from stasis, his eyes had found hers, and she had pressed her ink-stained palm against his cheek until he'd drifted off again.

After that mission and his quick recovery, it was a problem with her lab equipment that required her attention for almost a solid movement. And after that it was a short-lived uprising on the edges of Galra territory that Zarkon couldn't ignore. After that it was training drills and reconnaissance missions and meetings, until almost three phoebs had gone by and _ancients_ , they had barely spent more than a few nights together.

And those nights had been spent decidedly _unconscious._

Three phoebs from their wedding, and they had yet to even consummate their marriage.

Not once did Honerva ever doubt his desire. She certainly didn't doubt her own. But whenever a comment passed by about the thought of _children,_ she felt her chest cinch. A child. An heir. It was something they both wanted, of course, but that they had scarcely had time to talk about, let alone pursue.

How could they manage to raise a child together, when they couldn't even find the time to conceive one?

"Honerva."

A hand curled over her hip, and her own reached down to meet it before she even gave it a single thought. Zarkon leaned down to nuzzle against her jaw, and she pressed against him with a sigh. It was comfortable, being flanked by his powerful arms against the balcony railing with the sea breeze blowing through her hair.

"Honerva, darling – something is on your mind."

Of course he could tell. He knew her too well, even after spending more of their fledgling marriage apart than not. She managed a smile. "Plenty of things are on my mind. Have you met me, love?"

Zarkon chuckled, low and warm. "Of course. But there's more racing through that head of yours than usual."

She turned in his arms, leaning back against the railing and looking up to face him. The setting sun stained his scales with a deep orange-pink tint, glinting off his eyes and making them gleam. It made warmth bloom in her chest as she squeezed his hands. "I miss you," she finally said. "I love you, and I love your devotion to your people and to Voltron. It almost rivals my own devotion to my work."

"Almost," he said with a playful smile, which she mirrored.

" _Almost._ " Her own smile faltered, just a bit. "I would never ask you to give any of it up, just as I'm sure you'd never ask the same of me. But I…"

His hand cupped her cheek, thumb stroking over her skin. "I know." He bent down enough to press his forehead against hers. "I know, Nerva. I miss you too. I do. I wish…"

"Oh, don't waste time wishing," she told him, her smile back again as she patted his cheek. "You have me, remember? You have me, and I have you, and nobody can change that." She laughed as he opened his eyes again, just a breath away. "You're stuck with me, you big brute."

"Stuck with you, hm?" As close as he was, he leaned even closer, until his rough lips brushed against her own with each word: "What a wonderful fate that is."

Even with him leaning down like this, she had to press up on her toes to wrap her arms around his shoulders properly. She melted into it, heart thumping against her ribs the way it always did when he touched her. Ancients, what she wouldn't give to hop up on this balcony railing and have him take her right here and now. It would be so easy – so _tantalizingly_ easy – to reach down and hike up her dress and help him unclip his paladin armor-

"Zarkon, Alfor wants to see you in the-" Blaytz froze in the doorway. "Oh!" He smirked, pointed teeth glinting in the sun. "Am I interrupting something here, newlyweds?"

Zarkon's face was such a deep shade of maroon that Honerva wasn't sure if it was thanks to Blaytz or the setting sun, and the sight of it made her snort out a laugh. "Is that really how you want to address the emperor of the Galra?" she asked Blaytz. "He could have you executed."

"As if he ever would," Blaytz guffawed. "But in all seriousness, _am_ I interrupting-"

" _No,_ " Zarkon huffed.

 _Unfortunately,_ Honerva thought, but she kept as much to herself.

"Well, Alfor sent me to get you. We need the Black Lion to do some reconnaissance on Veelkar."

"The desert moon of Daibazaal?" Honerva breathed, irritation rising in her voice before she could stop it. "It's lifeless. Sterile. What could possibly be there to investigate?"

"I know, I know," Blaytz assured her, his expression suddenly solemn. "And believe me, Alfor would go himself if he could, but Melenor is due to go into labor any day now. Plus Blue is having her ice canon repaired and Trigel and Gyrgan are off taking care of a skirmish on the other side of the Daibazaal system." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Honerva, but it should be a quick-"

"The mission on our wedding night was meant to be _quick_ too, and he came back almost two movements later barely able to _walk_."

Blaytz closed his mouth again, looking contrite. Zarkon's hand found her arm, squeezing just enough to extinguish her anger. For the most part at least. "Nerva," he breathed. "It's alright. It's my duty."

She forced herself to breathe, to rest her hands on her hips straighten her back as she stepped away and faced them both. "I'm coming too then."

"Nerva-"

"I'm coming with you. It's a simple reconnaissance mission, Zarkon. And before you go saying that it could be _dangerous,_ I've worked with pure, unrefined quintessence for deca-phoebs. I'm well-acquainted with danger. We’re old friends by now." She gave him a sweet smile. Disarming. "And you know me well enough by now to know that I'm not going to back down."

Zarkon turned to look at Blaytz, shrugging. "She's right, you know."

"I figured," Blaytz chuckled. He turned with a capitulating wave of his hand. "Alright, if that's the way it's going to be. At least Alfor is too preoccupied with his impending fatherhood to put up much of a fight."

* * *

Stepping onto the Black Lion was like something out of a dream. Honerva could hardly breathe as Zarkon took her hand and helped her step up into the cockpit, and she watched as it came alive for him in a blaze of silver and purple. "Ancients preserve me," she gasped, resting her hand on the console. It thrummed with energy, with _life._ She could feel it vibrating around her, warming her down to her bones. "It's beautiful. _He's_ beautiful."

"The lion seems like a 'he' to you, hm?" Zarkon laughed as he took his seat and invited her to sit beside him. She lowered herself down onto his knee, barely able to tear her gaze away from the controls before them.

She smiled. "He doesn't to you?"

"It changes with the day," he said with a shrug. "I think with his mood."

She craned her neck to look all around the cockpit, and every time she blinked it seemed she noticed more and more that amazed her. "Look at this," she sighed. "Can you feel that, Zarkon? Does it feel like this for you too? This…this ancient power. Like something the from the Lifegivers themselves…"

When she looked at him again, she found him with his eyes closed, head resting back against the seat. "Yes," he said. "I'm sure it feels different for you, attuned as you are to the quintessence. But even I can feel it. We have a…a connection. The lion and I. I can see through his eyes. Feel what he feels." His smile was an enigmatic one as he opened his eyes once more and reached for the controls. "Just wait until you see what it feels like to fly, Nerva."

His eyes were as wide as his smile, gleaming with child-like amazement, and ancients help her, she could hardly contain her own excitement.

Zarkon reached past her, pulling back the throttle, and suddenly the lion blazed to life like a supernova at its zenith. She was pressed back against the seat, against Zarkon's body as the lion surged forward and upward, into the air as if gravity had ceased to pay it any mind – suddenly they were _soaring,_ above Altea, above its clouds, up into the stratosphere and beyond.

" _Stars,_ " she gasped. "Look at the _stars!_ "

Instead of giving her a reply, Zarkon rested one hand on her waist, thumb stroking against her ribs through her flight suit and making her shiver. She turned to face him, finding him smiling wide, and it took everything in her not to lean forward and kiss him until neither of them could breathe. She settled for pressing her lips to the ridge of scales along his temple, beaming as she pulled away with her hand still cradling his jaw.

He shifted enough to open a communication channel. "Black Lion to Altea," he said, "Ready for jump."

The teladuv ring opened before them, a gaping, yawning portal to the Daibazaal star system lightyears away. In a heartbeat they were there, teladuv energy zapping through them like static. Zarkon let out a sigh, what looked like relief on his face. "Always makes me nervous. Jumping like that."

"Nervous?" she asked, grinning. "I'm feeling more things than I can possibly describe, but nervous certainly isn't one of them."

As they stabilized into their cruising speed to reach the moon, Honerva settled back against his chest and leaned closer. Eyes half-lidded and smile warm and easy, she pressed her lips to his again. The moment she did, his arms pulled her close, turning her until she was straddling his legs in the cockpit seat, and she let out a shuddering little sigh that turned into a quiet moan.

" _Uh, Zarkon?_ "

She pulled back from the kiss, swallowing a curse as they glanced down at the console. She could practically _hear_ Blaytz's smirk as he said, " _Comm's still open. Just thought you should know._ "

"Void…" Zarkon grumbled.

" _Check in once you reach Veelkar._ "

"Affirmative."

" _And turn the comm off if you're gonna-_ "

"Signing off."

" _Or you could leave it on if you're into that._ "

"Signing _off,_ Blaytz."

The cockpit went silent. For a few moments at least, before Honerva broke out into a fit of laughter that shook her entire body from there to the outer atmosphere of Veelkar.

As they descended and Honerva wiped the tears from her eyes, Zarkon carefully watched the approaching horizon. "Monitoring stations on Daibazaal picked up an unusual signal from this region of the moon a few quintants ago," he said. "Veelkar has a somewhat unstable magnetic field due to the makeup of its core, so it may be nothing."

"But given the recent uprisings within the empire, you can't take that chance," Honerva finished, looking out at the moon's surface.

Zarkon smiled at her. "This should be quick."

She leaned in a bit closer again, smirking. "And what if I don't _want_ it to be quick?"

He blinked at her, adorably, a flush spreading across his cheeks until an alert from the console drew their attention away from the – _intended_ – implications of what she'd said. Zarkon cursed under his breath a moment later, and worry spiked in Honerva's chest.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"A storm," he said. "A bad one. The storm cell must be the cause of the interference the monitoring station picked up."

"Close?"

She didn't need the answer to that – she got it quickly enough when she looked up and saw it hurtling toward them. A dark wall of wind and sand that was already causing the lion to shake even from far on the horizon.

"We should get out of here," Zarkon muttered, but when he went to adjust the controls again, the lion groaned and a deafening alert blared in their ears. "Sand in the exhaust ports," he scoffed. "Damn, our thrust power is compromised. We won't be able to get enough power to reach escape velocity like this."

"Can you re-route the exhaust flow to clear out the debris?" she asked, mind racing.

"Sure, but not like this. Not with that-" He gestured toward the storm, barreling toward them like an angry animal. "-about to be on top of us."

"We need cover then."

"Agreed."

"There!"

Zarkon's gaze followed her outstretched arm to a cavern, half-buried in the sand and growing more obscured by the moment with the storm approaching at a dizzying pace. But it was there, its mouth wide and deep enough for the lion to easily slip through. Without another word, Zarkon adjusted course, diving into the opening just as the wind began to whip up into a frenzy around them.

Here in the darkness, it was quiet. The wind howled above them, behind them, but the cavern walls shielded them from the worst of it, and the sound grew quieter and quieter the deeper they went. "It's like it never ends," Honerva breathed.

"Veelkar is known for its elaborate underground cave system," Zarkon told her, a comforting hand on her hip. "Lucky for us. Thank you for spotting this, love. You may just have saved our skins."

"You're not allowed to die just yet," she told him, dropping a kiss to the bridge of his nose.

It took only a few dobashes to make it out into a wide clearing deep in the cavern, the rock ceiling arching high above them as the lion came to rest on the solid bedrock. It was dark save for the lion's glow, quiet except for the soft drip-dripping of water in the distance.

"We should be safe here," Zarkon said as he studied the readout on the screen before them, and as Honerva did the same over his shoulder, her eyes grew wide.

"The atmosphere here…" she mused. "According to this analysis, it's…breathable. An uninhabited desert planet with a breathable atmosphere…"

"Almost pleasant, if you ignore the surface-ravaging sandstorms and scorching sun," Zarkon quipped. "Veelkar has a fair amount of underground volcanic activity too – enough to make the underground temperature relatively stable. We considered it for a colony for a time, but it didn't promise us as much of a benefit as we'd hoped."

"I can't _imagine_ why you would scrap that plan."

Zarkon chuckled as he unfastened himself from the seat and helped her stand. "We'll be here some time," he said. "By the time the storm dissipates, Black should have finished clearing the debris from the exhaust ports and we can make the trip back. Until then…"

In the pause, she stared up at him, and oh what a pause it was – so much possibility in that time after his words faded into quiet. Until then, they were alone here. Isolated from everyone and everything. No interruptions. Nothing to tear their attention away from each other. Until then, they could do _anything._

Zarkon swallowed. "…We could stretch our legs."

"Yes," she said with a nod, her face flushed pink as she took his hand. "I'd like that."

He hadn’t been wrong about the effects of volcanic activity underground here – though the dark, glistening cavern looked like it would be cold and harsh, Honerva stepped off the lion into a blanket of comforting warmth. Like a pleasant sunny day, but as dark as night. She turned to find Zarkon with his hand pressed against the lion’s leg, his brow pinched in concern.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“No.” He hesitated a moment. “Well, not _wrong,_ really. To clear out the exhaust ports properly, Black will need to go into a low power state for a few vargas. That means no communication with the others.”

“Between the storm and these stone walls, I think that may have been the case regardless,” Honerva pointed out, and he sighed.

“And no light.”

Ah yes, that _was_ more of a concern. With no other sources of light in this cave, that would leave them stuck in pitch blackness for ancients knew how long. Still, that was hardly the worst thing in the world. Honerva was perfectly capable of feeling her way where she needed to go if it came to that.

She stepped closer and linked her arm around his, squeezing tight. “It’s fine,” she said with a reassuring smile. “The dark hasn’t killed anyone yet. We’ll just need to stay close.”

“Close.” The word came out gravelly and rough, like his voice had tripped over it. “Yes, close. Of course.”

The darkness enveloped them, deeper than she’d expected. It was odd, she thought, standing in true darkness, unable to see even her own hand in front of her or her husband’s face beside her. But his arm was tight around her, grounding her, chasing away every bit of anxiety that happened to cinch in her chest.

With their sight gone for the moment, Honerva found it easy to focus her attention elsewhere – the sound of water dripping against stone in the distance, the slick feeling of rock beneath her feet, the warmth of Zarkon’s body beside her and the faint smell of his skin when she leaned in closer. She breathed in deep, pressing her nose against his arm and feeling a laugh rumble deep in his chest.

“This wasn’t how I thought this trip would go, you know,” he said, voice cutting through the blackness and sounding even louder in the silence. “I’d hoped I could at least show you some sights, show you just what the lion can do.”

Stars, she would have much preferred to see what _he_ could do.

“You’ve shown me plenty,” she said instead. “More than I could ever imagine. Flying through the stars with you was…it was _indescribable,_ Zarkon.”

“It was just a taste.” His fingers wove together with hers. “The lions are unlike any other vessels in the universe, Honerva. They think and feel like living beings and possess such power…Black could take us anywhere in the galaxy. Anywhere in the _universe._ ” Despite the darkness, she swore she could _hear_ his smile. “Are you homesick, Honerva? Sitting here in the dark so far from home?”

She reached up until she found his shoulder, letting her hand trail down the length of his arm, imagining the feeling of his skin and scales and muscle beneath his armor. “I am homesick,” she sighed. “But not for Altea.”

She heard him let out a shuddering breath that matched hers, and just as she leaned in toward his warmth, a light at the corners of her vision drew her attention. It was faint at first, so much so that she thought her eyes might be playing tricks on her with nothing better to do. But it grew brighter and brighter – a gentle blue glow around the perimeter of the cavern. 

She caught a glimpse of his face in perfect profile, the ridged line of his forehead a solid cut of dark against the cerulean light, his sharp slope of his jaw softening just a bit as his mouth fell open in wonder, his eyes gleaming beautifully as he looked back at her again. “This is…” He let out a breath. “New.”

“Your scouts never found this?” she teased as she walked a tight circle around the lion, eyes tracking the line of light along the walls. “Something so…incredible?”

“They never thought to turn off their lights,” he shrugged.

“Fair enough.” She reached him again, heart pounding as she took in the sight of him, lit up like the night sky. “Zarkon…how long have we waited for a moment like this?”

“A moment in a dark cave, you mean?”

“A moment _alone._ ” Her boldness cresting, she reached back to press her fingers against the nape of her neck, finding the zipper there. “Together. Somewhere quiet and peaceful.”

Against the soft _drip-dripping_ of the water deeper inside the cave, the sound of her zipper opening was deafening. Zarkon’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging in open in a soft little _o._ “Ho…Honerva…”

“I’ve wanted you since before our wedding,” she insisted. “But we kept to the traditions. I wanted you on our wedding night, but duty called. I’ve wanted you every moment since then, but we haven’t had the right moment. We haven’t had the _chance._ ”

“Honerva, you-“

“I _want you._ ” She peeled the flight suit from her shoulders, reveling in the way Zarkon’s eyes tracked the edge of it down her chest, stomach, and legs. “Zarkon, I want you. Here.”

“In a cave?”

“Now.”

“During a deadly storm?”

“I don’t _care_ where we are,” she groaned, cupping his face in her hands and holding his gaze. “I only care that we have this moment – this short, sweet moment – where we’re truly alone. We have this entire moon to ourselves. Not a soul nearby to interrupt with talk of missions or meetings or training or research. I have you, and you have me.” She stared up at him, eyes wide and wanting, as she guided his hand to her breast and let it rest overtop of her undergarments. “Don’t you want me, Zarkon? As much as I want you?”

His gaze softened, his thumb stroking against the side of her breast as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Of course. Of _course_ I do.” There was an edge to his voice – longing, _hungry._ It made her truly believe what he was saying without a doubt. “I’ve wanted you for just as long. I’d only hoped…” The edge of a smile tugged at his lips. “Well, I’d hoped to make it a bit more romantic. Flowers, scented oils, a soft bed-“

“As much as I would have loved that, I can love this just as much.” She smirked. “Because I love _you,_ you glorious thing.”

“I love you too,” he murmured.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. “Then finish undressing me,” she told him in a soft, insistent purr. She dragged one finger down the middle of his chest, pressing it against his black and white breastplate over his sternum. “But first…this armor _must_ go.”

“Must it?” he asked with a playful little smirk, his hands already reaching for the release clasp under his breastplate. It clattered to the ground at his feet. Next were his pauldrons, and as he removed them Honerva began a slow and careful circle around him. She watched as the pauldrons fell to his feet beside his breastplate, as he stretched his neck back and carefully removed the rest of his paladin armor, piece by piece. The lines of muscle and hints of skin peeking out from under his form-fitting flight suit almost made her mouth water.

He let out a laugh as he reached for his waistband. “Are you inspecting our perimeter? Thorough, but I already ran a scan from Black when we landed-“

She paused in her circling him, cocking her head to one side. “Not the perimeter,” she said. “You, love. And you’re doing beautifully.” The rosy tint along the bridge of his nose made her smile even wider. She nodded toward his hands. “Go on.”

It was intoxicating, watching the rest of that armor fall away. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him without it, but silhouetted against the soft blue cavern glow, his outline was even more striking than ever before. Despite the hulking frame his armor suggested, his body was tall and lean, deep violet ridges arching over his shoulders and back, blunted claws extending from his fingers as he removed his gloves, scars criss-crossing his chest and arms. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as he left his flight suit on the ground beside him and stood before her, naked and exposed, his arms lazily outstretched like an invitation to appraise him.

She swallowed.

“I should catch up, shouldn’t I?” she mused, glancing down at her undergarments – the only things left on her. “You could help me.” She took a step closer, almost chest to chest with him. “Would you?”

Zarkon let out a shuddering breath, like the thought of getting her naked was even more harrowing than being naked himself. “I can,” he said with a nod. “I can do that.”

With a touch so much more gentle than his powerful hands suggested, he reached up and unclasped her bra, pulling it away from her skin. The whole time, she held his gaze, watching the desire grow there in his eyes as his carefully measured breathing echoed in the vast cavern. Reverently, he reached up to touch her, cupping one breast against his palm and running a thumb across her nipple, and she could have _sung,_ the touch was so heavenly – yet entirely not enough.

Finally – _finally ­_ – she stepped out of her underwear, and they faced each other, completely bare in the dim light of the cave, with the wind howling and moaning above and around them. Despite the storm, despite her nakedness, despite the darkness, Honerva had never felt safer.

She grasped the hair tie holding her locks back and tugged it out, letting them fall and frame her face again. “Now,” she said with a smile, “Kiss me, Zarkon.”

He answered with just a shaky sigh as he reached for her and cupped her hands in his. His skin was hot, his claws gently tickling her palms and making her shiver and giggle all at once. When had she gotten so breathless, she wondered? Her heart was pounding, her mind racing as she looked up at him – at her _husband –_ bathed in that gentle blue glow. He leaned in, kissed her tenderly, and her body lit up from the inside like she was re-living their wedding day all over again.

She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him, pressing her body flush against his and letting out a needy mewl that he matched with a soft, low growl. His hands found her waist as he opened his mouth to her, kissed her more deeply, more insistently. Yes, yes, _yes –_ the word echoed in her mind like her gasp against the cavern walls as his mouth moved to her jaw and neck.

It radiated off of him, that growing desire – like heat off of smoldering embers. From the day she had met him he had been gentle and kind, proper and polite, ever aware of their images and their reputations, as he’d _had_ to be. As they’d _both_ had to be. She had never once resented it, but _oh_ how she’d craved to see another side of him. The more primal side. The _selfish_ side. The side that would lay her down on this cavern floor and make her his at last.

“ _Mate me,_ ” she groaned before she even realized she was speaking at all. It wasn’t her voice coming from her throat – it was something rougher, needier. She pulled back just enough to get a glimpse of his eyes, and she swallowed. “Zarkon…mate me.”

“Are…” He wet his lips, light glinting off of his fangs. “Are you sure?”

“Do I seem unsure to you?” she laughed, guiding his hand to her breast. “I’m standing naked in front of you, love. Asking you for exactly what I want.” Her gaze softened, her thumb stroking along his knuckles. “Of course I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything. Mate me, Zarkon.”

She lowered herself down onto the warm ground, keeping her gaze locked with his as she sat back on the smooth stone and marveling at how surprisingly comfortable it was against her bare skin. She let her legs part, hiding nothing from him, and Zarkon let out a noise that sounded almost pained. His hips pushed forward, ever so slightly, like something in him was already urging him to _thrust._

She wasn’t the only one nursing her desire – between his legs his sheath was already darkened and swollen, bulging outward with the very tip of his burgeoning erection peeking out from the slit. She’d known for a long time that he was not small in _any_ sense, but that first glimpse of what he had to offer made her head spin.

Zarkon was slowly lowering himself to his knees when he spoke again, so softly that it almost got lost in the sound of the wind howling outside: “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He loomed above her, sitting back on his haunches with his hands braced on either side of her, covering her with the shadow cast from his body. Warmth swelled in Honerva’s chest as she pressed her hand against his jaw. “As if you could hurt me, love.”

“What if I-“ He pressed his lips together, brow pinching. “What if it-“

“What if what?”

“I’m not exactly _small,_ Nerva,” he finally relented with a sheepish little half-laugh.

She smirked. “ _That_ much is obvious.” Unable to help herself any longer, she trailed her fingers down along his chest, over the line of his hip, cupping her palm against his bulging sheath and feeling his length slide farther out against her hand, slick and hot. He bit back a groan. “Are you worried it won’t fit?”

“What if it _doesn’t?_ ” he blurted, color splashing across his cheeks, darker by the tick.

“Of course it will fit, love,” Honerva laughed. “We have all the time in the world, remember? We can take as much of it as we need. Don’t underestimate me now, hm?”

His smile was a warm one, genuine and clear, his shoulders relaxing just a bit as he scooted closer. “If you’re certain.”

She was about to reassure him again, about to insist that of _course_ she was certain for ancients’ sake, but before she could get another word out he was mirroring her actions from before; his hand skated down over her belly, along her inner thigh, until-

_Stars._

“Oh, yes,” she breathed, eyes fluttering closed as he found his mark. “Your instincts are _good,_ darling. Trust them.”

He chuckled, sounding almost cocky now. “I always do.”

She laid her hand overtop of his, guiding him deeper, her shuddering gasp echoing off the cavern walls when he pressed against a spot inside that sent electric pleasure shooting through her. When she managed to open her eyes again, she found him staring down at her intently, eyes blazing with determination and half glazed over with _lust._

That look suited him well.

“It looks good on you, love,” she breathed. Gods, watching him now she felt safer than she ever thought she could, trapped in the middle of a deadly storm on an uninhabited moon far from home. His body above her and arms beside her offered even more protection than the thick walls of stone keeping off the wind.

He took a moment to level out his breathing, cocking his head to one side. “Looks good on me?”

“You don’t ever let yourself _want,_ Zarkon.” Her hands wandered down his sides, over the bumps of his ribs and the blunted points of his scales. “It’s a rare thing, seeing you…indulge.”

He dipped his head down to kiss along the column of her neck, gently pressing a second finger inside of her. It surprised her, how easily her body gave way for him. “As if I could resist you,” he chuckled.

She barely heard him – the delicious _stretch_ of him pushing inside of her made her tip her head back and moan. It was a deep, guttural, rough sound. It echoed off the walls and reverberated around them like the thunder outside. “ _More,_ ” she insisted, and Zarkon nipped at her skin and answered her with a rumbling growl of his own.

His teeth and tongue and lips wandered freely. He left what were sure to be marks on her neck and chest, leaning down every few breaths to drag his rough tongue over her nipple while he cupped her breast with his free hand. And with his other hand – _ancients –_ he was doing things she’d never thought could feel so marvelous. She couldn’t help but tip her hips toward him, rocking against his fingers as he slowly and carefully worked her open, until she was sure she had to be dripping down his knuckles.

He held the small of her back as he dipped down farther, greedily dragging his mouth across her ribs, nose brushing the undersides of her breasts. He breathed in deep, like he was trying to memorize the scent of her. The taste of her. “Honerva,” he shuddered, his voice unlike any she’d heard before. Laced with desperation, _passion._ “ _Void,_ Honerva, I don’t know if I can hold back anymore.”

“Then _don’t,_ ” she pleaded. When she met his eye again, she could still see it – that tiny sliver of uncertainty. It was easy to understand why it was still flickering there, with that _behemoth_ jutting out from between his legs. Even cast in shadow from his body it was impossible to miss. But Honerva felt no fear. Never once did she think he would hurt her.

She pushed herself up on her shaking legs, pressed her hands against his chest, and carefully straddled him. Her hair spilled down over her shoulders and into her face, tickling her chest and lips until she pushed it to the side with a wide and reassuring smile. She could feel him, warm and slick against her backside, and she carefully pushed herself up.

Zarkon’s eyes grew wide. “Honerva…”

“Easy, now,” she breathed, as much to herself as to him. She pressed the tip of him against her entrance, fingers slipping against the ridges along his length. “Stay still, love…just for now. Can you?”

He planted his hands on her hips, a bead of sweat tracking its way down his temple. “Of course.”

Slowly, _slowly,_ she lowered herself down. Just a bit at first, until the stretch was too much. She wondered just how much of him she’d taken; considering his size she doubted it was much, but even that alone felt _massive._ She canted her head upwards toward the ceiling, her own breath mixing with the muted thunder and wind from the outside, and a moment later, she sank down just a bit more.

As she went, inch by careful inch, she planted her hands on his chest, feeling it heave with each breath beneath her palms. She managed a laugh, her head swimming. “Progress is a slow thing,” she panted. “But rewarding, isn’t it?”

Zarkon’s answer wasn’t a word, but a deep rumble. His claws pressed desperately against her hips as she pressed down just a tiny bit more.

“You’re doing marvelously,” she told him, and he opened one eye to glance up at her.

“I thought-“ He paused, the rest of his sentence getting caught on a harsh exhale that echoed throughout the cavern. “I thought I should…be telling you that…”

“Well I certainly won’t stop you.”

He opened both eyes now, looking up at her with a lopsided grin as he ran a hand up her spine. “You’re doing _marvelously,_ my love.”

She raised her hips up again, biting her lip as each ridge rubbed against corners inside of her she’d never even _felt_ before, and when just the tip of him was still inside she sank back down again. Zarkon’s groan was low and throaty, echoing around them over the sound of the wind, rumbling in the pit of her stomach. It was almost soothing as her brow pinched in concentration, her skin gleaming with sweat, her lips swollen and glistening in the cavelight. “I think…” she breathed. “I think I can take you, love.”

“You don’t have to,” he was quick to insist. His words were strained, his voice like a string pulled taught. “If it’s too much-“

“I can take you.” She pressed downward, pushing her weight against him. “If not all of you, then at least this.” She let out a gasp as she felt it – the swell of his knot pressing against her entrance. She folded herself over him, back arching toward the ceiling as she leaned down to press a sloppy kiss to his open mouth.

The world flipped around again, her back hitting warm stone as he turned them over and pressed her to the cave floor. Zarkon was above her, a hulking shadowy figure bathed in aquamarine light with eyes that gleamed as they bored into her. They were hungry – _starving._ For her. She could feel his claws against her skin as he gripped her hand over the stone, his other cupping her waist.

He hissed in a breath, bracing his knees against the floor and nudging her legs up to wrap around his hips, and he pulled back, started to _thrust-_

“ _Quiznack!_ ” The curse burst out of her before she could stop it, and he paused – just for a moment. That hunger morphed into concern. “No,” she was quick to say, her hands flying to the sides of his face, framing it. “No, don’t stop. Don’t you _dare_ stop, Zarkon. Do it. Mate me. More. _Please._ ”

Beyond words, it seemed, he nodded.

He was a vision – a beauty beyond description under a sheen of sweat, lit up by the cave glow, face a twisting mask of pleasure as he pushed into her. “You’re-“ His pointed teeth clenched together, jaw muscles bulging with the force of it. “You’re _incredible,_ Honerva. Void…just…incredible.”

Every thrust took her breath away when it pressed her against the stone floor. Every movement of him inside of her made galaxies explode behind her eyes. And Zarkon – _Zarkon_ was a vision. A beauty beyond description under a sheen of sweat, lit up by the cave glow, face a twisting mask of pleasure as he pushed into her.

The noises that escaped her weren’t hers anymore. They came from somewhere deep inside, rough, feral cries that rattled her down to her bones. Louder and louder each time his knot pressed up against her, and she swore with every push, every nudge, it stretched her a bit more. Made it a bit deeper. Until she could almost – _almost-_

His hand gripped her thigh, and her body lit up like the cavern itself, her muscles tensing and shaking as she clung to him and rode it out. Crying out his name as she came.

And then she felt it, just as she came down from that delicious high: a final little push, and her cry morphed into something lower, deeper, more guttural. _Stars above,_ had she-?

“ _Void,_ ” Zarkon hissed, face twisted with what looked like either agony or indescribable pleasure. “Stars… _Ancients,_ Honerva. You-“

She looked down, and was greeted by the sight of him buried inside of her to the hilt. His sheath glistening and pressed up against her body. In that moment all she could do was grin, head still swimming from her orgasm still sending aftershocks through her. “I did it,” she gasped. “Truly…”

“Don’t move.” She met his eye again, the muscles in his neck bulging as he fought for breath. His jaw clenched tight, his claws gouging grooves in the rock. “Just…just for a tick. I just need…need a mo…a moment…”

Drawing in a deep and steadying breath of her own, she patted his cheek with a smile. “My, my…have I overwhelmed you? The great emperor of the Galra?”

One eye opened to look down at her. “Just a bit,” he admitted.

She wrapped her arms around his hulking frame, fingers grazing over the grooves and ridges of the scales lining his shoulders and back. Her calves stroked against his hips. “Nothing wrong with being overwhelmed. Just let it take you.”

“Honerva…”

“ _Take me._ ” She let her head loll backwards, baring her neck to him. “Go on, love.” He let out a growl, pushing his hips up against her, and she could feel that deep, aching _fullness_ stretching her to her limit. “Yes, _yes…_ that’s it, Zarkon. I want to feel you. Every bit of you.”

He was arched over her, spine bowing toward the ceiling as the sound of his breath filled the cavern – deep, ragged, panting breaths that puffed against her neck and chest, finding their way between his clenched teeth and echoing off the towering walls. He drowned out the sound of the storm, until she couldn’t hear a thing but his breath, couldn’t _feel_ a thing except his hands gripping her hips and his knot swelling more and more within her with every thrust.

She was beyond words – beyond thought. She held onto him, fingers digging into his scales and flesh, and let her cries join his. Her throat was raw, sweat dripping down her brow, her legs burning from the effort of anchoring him to her, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t care. She was too busy taking in the sight of him losing every ounce of composure. Too busy drowning in the echoing sounds of him panting and groaning in ecstasy. Too busy arching, gripping, _coming-_

Zarkon buried his face in the crook of her neck, teeth grazing against her skin as he let out a desperate, half-muffled roar. As she came down from her own peak she could feel him, throbbing within her, wetness dripping past the swell of his knot, down her legs, onto the ground under their bodies.

 _Generous,_ she thought with a breathless smirk.

He went boneless overtop of her, his entire body shaking like a plucked wire, and her hand found an easy home on the back of his neck. “Easy, now,” she trilled. “That’s it…come back, my love…”

Owlishly, his eyes opened once again as he looked at her. “Are you…”

“Fine,” she insisted, giddy. “I’m perfect, Zarkon. Just perfect.”

“Nnh…”

His eyes closed again as he hummed – _purred_ – against her. Satisfied and spent.

* * *

The wind outside had died down by the time they stood again on shaky legs. Honerva was reluctantly reaching for her flight suit when Zarkon returned from the lion with a case in his hands, rifling through it until he found what he was looking for – a soft cloth, that he dampened with a bit of rationed water. “I should…ah…help you clean up, at least.”

“Ever the gentleman,” she hummed, eyes half-lidded and body pleasantly loose. She let him take the lead, let his gentle touch make its way along her brow, over her chest, between her legs, and by the time he was done she wasn’t all _that_ much cleaner than she’d been before, but her entire body was thrumming with warmth.

He helped her back into her flight suit, let her reattach his armor piece by piece, and the lion rumbled beneath them as they stepped into the cockpit again. “The storm’s let up,” he said as he settled in, pulling her close when she sat herself down in his lap. “The ride back should be a smooth one.” He let out a sigh. “The others will be worried…”

“The others will be fine,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He started their ascent, reaching for the comm, and then he paused, his cheeks darkening. “Blaytz will know…”

“You think?” She rose a brow.

“He’ll _know._ ”

“And just what’s wrong with that, hm?”

“Nothing’s _wrong,_ but…well…” It was back again, that propriety. She loved it as much as ever. “A _cave,_ Nerva. Of all places.”

“Surely Blaytz has had flings in stranger places.”

A laugh punched its way out of him. “That’s not the point, and you know it.”

“Maybe we should come back sometime.” His eyes were wide as he looked at her, but her smile only grew. “We could make it a tradition. A…pilgrimage of sorts. The Galra track the storms on the surface, yes?”

“Y…yes…”

“So let’s come back when the next one hits.” She was already buzzing with excitement. “And you can bring some of those scented oils you’re so fond of along for good measure.”

“I…I would like that.” He pressed his nose against the side of her neck, dropped a kiss to her jaw, and let his hand settle on her thigh, anchoring her close to him. Perfect. “I’d like that very much.”

Honerva grinned and traced a finger along his jawline. “I thought you might.” 


End file.
